Dataset of Monthly Potential Evapotranspiration in Xinjiang Region from 1971 to 2020

Xinjiang is located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, with an extremely fragile ecosystem and is one of the driest regions in the world. The evolution trend of potential evapotranspiration and its response to climate change has become a hot research topic. This article is based on daily meteorological observation data from 59 meteorological observation stations in Xinjiang from 1971 to 2020. After data quality control, outlier removal, and interpolation correction, the Penman Monteith model is used to calculate potential evapotranspiration and generate a monthly potential evapotranspiration dataset for Xinjiang from 1971 to 2020. The dataset consists of an EXCEL file containing one data table, which shows the monthly potential evapotranspiration data of various meteorological stations in Xinjiang region, with a total of 600 records. This result can provide reference for studying the impact of climate change on water cycle in Xinjiang, improving agricultural irrigation efficiency, adjusting water resource utilization structure, and optimizing water resource allocation.